Phoenix - The Long Road Ahead in Uttarakhand

Thanks to the tireless efforts by thousands of army and IAF personnel, the rescue work should be completed  within next few hours. The question is what next?

Our politicians would announce numerous relief packages of hundreds of crores which would turn out to be scams of hundreds of crores few years later. Numerous studies would be commissioned and so-called intelligentsia would be employed to churn out meaningless reports. These reports would then be rubbished by the rival groups and then the incident would be washed out of the public memory - Kahani Khatam, just like a nice movie / novel which one watched on news channels or read in newspapers.

But, what about thousands of people who have suddenly become homeless, jobless and grief stricken from the loss of their loved ones by this blow from the Nature. They would keep rotting in over crowded relief camps which provide no relief. They would be completely ignored and forgotten soon except for once in a while, when some enthusiastic journalist would cover their story - that too will happen only if it gets good TRP.

The state needs action, immediate and well-planned action to resurrect and rebuild Uttarakhand - action to fight the adversity, action to create opportunity. In my mind, there can be several initiatives right from ground level to the highest level.

Firstly, Uttarakhand administration needs to gear up to this challenge. They can learn from people who have handled similar situation such as in rebuilding parts of Gujarat after 2001 earthquake. No, I am not making Narendra Modi, the messiah rather I am counting on the various Secretaries and Chief Secretary of the then Gujarat Government (most of whom would have joined services and been promoted under Congress governments). And, I am sure there would be similar experience of rebuilding and rehabilitation elsewhere in the country as well as abroad. Uttarakhand government should immediately build a task force led by such people. And, the action plan must be implemented a the level of every district, taluka and village through collectors, block officers and sarpanchs respectively.

Secondly, the government should reach out to the big corporate houses such as Tatas, Birlas, L&T, etc. with a request to build large industrial townships / economic centers in Uttarakhand. It will provide long term sustainable employment to thousands of people, promote community living and restore peace. Such centers can create tier-1 / tier-2 towns such as Jamshedpur and Bokaro in Jharkhand. The corporate should be incentivized  with proper long term financial sops for their good work. The Govt. on its part can make the path easier by providing the right leadership and support through actions such as all regulatory approvals for such plans within 30 days.

Thirdly, the Govt. must refrain from any knee jerk reaction of making environmental approvals more cumbersome for the industry in the region. If the govt. takes any such regressive step, it would completely paralyze the economy of the state. There should be proper environmental care and control but no red-tapism and bureaucracy since that will achieve nothing other than scaring the industries away and filling up the coffers of the corrupt.

Rehabilitation delayed would be justice denied - this disaster if not rehabilitated properly will send the state back by a few decades. It will destroy many youths, many childhoods...we must save it.

Head still held high but the heart cries: IAF helicopter crash in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand has been struck with a disaster never seen before - none could have imagined the magnitude of a tragedy of this kind, let alone be fully prepared for it. But, the response of the governments and politicians at such times has been pathetic, ill-timed and frivolous to say the least - ranging from claims of rescuing 15,000 people in a day (I know right wing sympathizers are tirelessly clarifying NaMo never said it...) to people waking up after Spanish vacations to present themselves for photo-ops (Ya Ya, Rahul Baba was celebrating his birthday...na). Congress in a well covered media event sent 126 trucks with relief material  to Uttarakhand flagged by none other than Mrs. Gandhi and Rahul Baba without caring where they are headed. They are today lying stranded in Rishikesh with not knowing where to go, not having enough fuel to go with unscrupulous truck drivers planning to sell relief material as it does not have a planned destination.

I fail to understand why cannot we in this country for once have a united political approach to dealing with a crisis of this kind. Why every politician needs to offer to rebuild temples, why everyone either needs to land to do Rambo acts or explain reasons not to visit.

The only hero of this tragic story is the armed forces - every soldier who has selflessly risked his life and dedicated himself to the rescue efforts which are being conducted successfully on a war-scale braving every odd presented to them whether by the fury of mother nature, bureaucracy of the system, or the cheap netas. The state is unfortunate to have a dwarf leader in Vijay Bahugana at such trying times - he seems completely defeatist and escapist in his statements. The country needs leaders such as IAF Chief NAK Browne whose men stood up and braved the crisis in these times - rotors must not stop till the time Operation Rahat is completed.

I salute the spirit of those men who know that they may lose their own lives while trying to save another soul, who know that their names and photos would never shine in the media, who do not have a golden reward waiting at the end of this, who are not going to benefit from the vote bank in the election year - they just know that this is the war our country is fighting and they are soldiers dedicated to the service of this nation.

I am aghast at the focus on sending tons of wood for religiously proper cremation (as approved by so-called sadhus) of dead men. It is high time that we do the cremation quickly and in a hygienic manner to prevent spread of an epidemic - rather than focusing on the proper rituals, etc. I think it is high time that the country gets its priorities right.

The news channels are asking why the elite and the rich in this country not extending a helping hand? I ask why in this country have we not made a mechanism for sourcing, managing and deploying funds and efforts in an efficient manner to deal with such situations. People are reluctant to make donations many a times because they don't know what proportion of this would really reach the needy and what will become a part of the black money sitting in coffers of bureaucrats, netas, so-called NGOs.

The country needs proper accessible roads in such hilly terrains inter-spaced with helipads to deal with such crisis and make rescue ops easier and faster. Apart from this, the country needs to imbibe crisis management whether it be floods or earthquakes in its DNA. Civil administration should be trained and equipped to deal with crisis and each geography needs to  prepare itself as per its needs.

Lastly, I wish Uttarakhand is rebuilt quickly and prosperity is restored to its people at the earliest.

Soapbox of a PM Candidate - the whole country is watching

Many people have seen the long (listening to a politician for 2 hrs is indeed long) speech and Q&A by Narendra Modi ("NaMo") at the India Today Conclave recently. No, this is not a propaganda blog - I am not a NaMo supporter, though not a NaMo basher either.

This blog came because the event strongly reminded me of the soapbox that used to happen during college elections - how he was trying to gather credit for results that may not be solely attributed to him (Gujarat development is due to the spirit and efforts of millions of Gujaratis and their undying spirit of entrepreneurship), how he was evasive about "sensitive" issues (after 10+ years, still evading the 2002 riots - no SIT / Supreme Court can fight the perception deep-rooted in media and minds), but also how the person makes you sincerely believe that he can really bring a change and better governance.

He may not be the sole driver behind Gujarat's growing GDP but he has indeed great ideas which bring wide-ranging impact touching the lives of everyone. Not many politicians would have the heart to admit that they need to give security of tenure to civil servants and need to let go the tool of "Transfer" for controlling the administrative machinery.

As far as personal corruption is concerned, he does give the impression of Mr. Clean else Madam Gandhi and her sycophants must have dug out hundreds of cases against him over last decade. Also, he is indeed approachable for people who want to bring the real change. I have personally seen him helping Nirmal Kumar who founded G-Auto to bring a change in the whole auto rickshaw ecosystem in Gujarat. Nirmal is not a rich industrialist, not a politician's son - he is a smart and industrious MBA graduate from IIMA who has fought hard to bring a change despite all physical and economic adversities. He is a true example of what NaMo referred to as finding opportunity in adversity.

I personally loved his specific ideas on solar power, waste management, brain storming sessions with civil servants, building self sufficiency and export capability in defense manufacturing, etc. At least, we have a leader who does get into specific ideas, who has the courage to speak up and make efforts to implement - No one succeeds in every effort but we desperately need to get out of the current policy paralysis and a PM who does not speak.  He does raise hope in a manner the way Obama did in his first campaign (how much he delivered is a matter of a separate debate).

But, I do not think the path ahead is so easy for NaMo. NaMo does not have any mantra and the so-called Gujarat model is not an easy one to replicate throughout the country - specially in a coalition government. The situation in rest of the country is different and no one trick can cure all malaise.

I think he would have a tough path to Gaddi but once he gets it and in case he delivers even a small portion of his grand dream, he is set for a long innings. Look at what happened with Nitish govt. in Bihar ( A state where it was earlier told in Lalu / Rabri days that people did not cast their vote but they voted their caste). The equations can change at a faster pace on the ground level than what the so-called intelligentsia and media predict.

I just so strongly wish that we could get to hear the other candidates in a similar soapbox - not only "Maun"mohan Singh but also the other aspirants such as Rahul Baba (it must be sad for a 42 year old to be called "Baba"), Mulayam, Nitish, Arvind Kejriwal as well. But, I know that is not going to happen - the country will still vote not for a leader but for a region, for a caste, for a separate statehood.....another fractured mandate, another round of back room politics for buying "support" and getting "portfolios" - remember Barkha Dutt and Nira Radia tapes.

Will NaMo become a PM? Well, he himself said no astrologer had told that he will become a CM - so we need to keep guessing and waiting.

The Indian Paisa League - A Story of Greed

Much is being talked about the IPL, let us call it Indian Paisa League instead of the Indian Premier League as all the ongoing media talk is about money, power and corruption, nothing to do with cricket.

I have no clue what happens behind those closed doors but just for fun, let us try to imagine what would have happened: The two failed bidders (or at least one of the two) would have paid some large "facilitation money" to Lalit in advance for getting an IPL team. Now, Lalit needs to return this or get him a team - all his equation has gone in for a toss due to some last minute disruption by someone from somewhere in Kerala. Lalit tries hard to cough up enough from this new team for the loss but the Kochi boys have already paid their due share to the pseud mallu (by transferring enough to his so-called female friend).

The all-powerful IPL supremo cannot tolerate any of this encroachment and starts pelting stones but forgot he himself was in a glass house. The highly educated pseud Mallu faces the brunt and loses the ministership but in the meantime, raising unanswered questions on Lalit, IPL, BCCI, Pawar, Patel and god only knows who all....followed by all the IT raids (was Income tax office sleeping for so long), the undeclared Mauritius accounts, the kick-backs and all else you can find on any TV.

So, what is going to happen next? Skeletons are falling from every closet. Someone needs to die on the other side, after all there cannot be casualties on only one side in a battle, so who better than Lalit Modi, the man who started it all. He needs to go, no doubt about it....but is he the only one who took all of it home, common sense says you need to share the booty in every loot. I guess every top official in BCCI (the so-called charitable society registered in Tamil Nadu) takes a share of the pie.

The big question is what is the way forward?

Why should BCCI eat away all the money it makes in the name of cricket and national pride? It should ideally be made a publicly listed enterprise controlled by Government of India (like the PSUs). Enhanced transparency and accountability would bring more professionalism to the sport. Also, it should be made to share a part of the surplus with Ministry of Sports for development of other sports in the country. As a nation, we should try to utilize this money to prepare ourselves better for sports and may be this country of a billion can devote more resources to make a better mark at forums like Olympics.

Naxalism : The rule of Gun and Mass Murder

I come from Jharkhand, have spent 20 years of my life in the land of tribals - have seen some of them very closely, their hardships, their battle for life, you just can't help but admire the way they always feel content and happy. But, something has changed in the past few years, people are now afraid to pass through the very jungles which used to be symbol of natural beauty and fresh air, they only commute in daytime or with patrolling jeeps along with them.

The same innocent tribals who came to towns to do small shopping and sell fresh produce from their small farms, are now viewed with suspicion. What if the person is a Naxalite, what if he is here to spy, what if he kidnaps my son for extortion money?

The Naxalite movement has done no good to the lives of ordinary tribals, it has just made it worse. The so-called jan adalats are nothing but a formal system of stamping justice to the atrocities committed by the Party.

I recently read this article by Arundhoti Roy in Outlook, seems like she has taken the role of their spokesperson - hell bent at justifying every crime perpetrated by this armed gang of hoodlums. She seems to have drained all the grey content out of her brain and does not seem to be at all concerned by the grave internal security threat posed by this movement. She is ignorant of the challenges faced by a common man in these areas due to the ongoing war between the maoists and the administration.

Maoists are a bunch of misguided youth led by a few selfish leaders at the top who are indoctrinating innocent children to realise their selfish motives. I believe country needs a man with an iron hand to douse this fire of unrest before it assumes large proportion to burn our motherland. I sincerely wish Chidambram delivers this before it is too late.

At the same time, the Indian government would need to take sufficient measures to ensure that the tribals feel themselves as a part of the country, share the fruits of development and have enough education and reason to deny the Party a space in their backyard.

Fear

Today, when I switched on the TV, I saw three news items each one enough to shake me completely from within.

The first one mentioned that Mr. R. R. Patil who famously quipped, "Only a few people died.." while describing the unforgettable disaster of 26/11, has been rewarded with the Home Ministry in the newly formed Maharashtra government as if his removal in the aftermath of 26/11 was just meant to give Patil Saab proper rest before the taxing assembly elections.

The next one informed me that four goondas of MNS (who also got elected as MLAs) slapped Abu Azmi in the Maharashtra Assembly for daring to take oath in Hindi, supposedly the national language of this nation, also referred as Hindustan. When an MLA is not safe in an Assembly, who can dare to raise voice against these hoodlums of Raj Thackeray ? God save the people of Mumbai who brought him the second largest vote share in this region.

But, it was the last news that felt like the hardest slap on the face of the judiciary and the common man of this country. The infamous Manu Sharma (son of famous politician Venod Sharma of Congress party), convicted for life imprisonment in the Jessica Lall murder case has been released on parole (on sincere recommendation of Delhi CM, Mrs. Sheila Dixit of Congress party) to take care of his critically ill mother, Shakti Rani. But, to everyone's surprise, Shakti Rani is all hale and hearty, addressing a press conference in Chandigarh while Manu Sharma is visiting the elite nightclubs in search for his next hunt, another Jessica Lall !!! Does Manu have a license to kill at will just because he belongs to a privileged minority of politicians with power and money?

I am still trembling with fear and am unable to reconcile with the fact that I am continuously breathing under the reign of terror and lawlessness. I am bemused by the fact that most of us think we live in a free and independent country whereas in reality, we are nothing but constantly waiting preys for the carnivores of this jungle, who have turned mad in their glory of power.

Private Equity and Marriage

Some of you might be thinking this guy has gone mad, what is the remotest relationship between the two subjects - Private Equity ("PE"), an investment discipline meant for so-called wizards of the financial world and Marriage, a process of tying two souls together for a lifetime (Mind it, this is just for public display, I know that Marriage is an irreversible (for most cases) binding contract by which a person enters into quarreling, cribbing and bickering for a lifetime.)

But, I being in the midst of both these subjects simultaneously, could not help but notice a close resemblance between the two.

In PE, after initial discussions and meetings (which is similar to pre-engagement meetings between the two sides in a marriage), people sign a non-binding Term Sheet which usually has a no-shop clause stating that the Company would not meet any other potential investor until the time this process comes to a successful or unsuccessful end. In marriage, we have something very similar, which some people refer to as Engagement (or roka or sagai in some parts of the country) - post which people agree not to meet other potential brides (or grooms) - the no-shop clause of marriage contract.

Post term sheet, PE investors conduct due diligence on the Company. In marriage, there is a two-way diligence process during the courtship period in which both the parties try to understand each other better (and possibly prepare themselves for a lifetime of quarreling and bickering :P).

On completion of diligence, PE investors sign binding definitive agreements and transfer the money. Once money is gone, the investor is married to the Company. In marriage, you do the wedding ceremony in place of definitive agreements.

Unlike the engagement which is non-binding (yes, people can break engagements without going to a court of law just like investors can walk out of the deal post term sheet), marriage is legally binding post wedding (That means,you are stuck out here for rest of this life, hence better behave).

PE process differs from the marriage one in one significant aspect - Exit Clause. PE agreements generally have a well-defined exit clause for all possible future scenarios(though truly speaking, things always turn out better or worse in future but never exactly the same as envisaged), it is a blasphemy to talk of exit during marriage.

Thus, PE and marriage are similar to each other in a number of aspects. I sincerely hope that I have a long, successful and happy inning in both PE as well as marriage.

Made to Order Wives

Here,I am a mid 20's guy whose all weekend conversations revolve around listening to his friends about the troubles they are having in finding their matches. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that this is nothing but a serious Operations Management (OM) challenge.

In OM lingo, there are two types of items: off the shelf items and made to order items. And, as you may be aware off the shelf items are standard, mass produced and very commonplace - one size fits all kinda things...whereas made to order are customized, personalized and very special.

Given the fast pace of today's world and chalta hai attitude, we are fast moving from special made to order items to ok types off the shelf ones. For example, I duly remember in my childhood, getting a shirt stitched was a whole week exercise from selecting and buying the fabric, giving measurements to the tailor and finally collecting your very own and special made to order shirt. Today, the world has changed - the guy enters a showroom in one shirt and comes out in another.

Given the fact that Marriage is generally only once in a lifetime affair in India, a wife should ideally be under made to order category - right? But, unfortunately, the high cycle time of 20-25 years makes made to order system an unfeasible solution (I would like to remain away from topics like men never grow old, second season etc :P). Hence, we pick our matches off the shelf - now in off the shelf system, the more shops you visit, higher is the probability of getting a better bargin, nicer fit and trendier look.

So, my friends get imbued with biodatas every night when their moms serve them dinner along with list of prospective brides. Almost every prospect is so known and familiar with credentials like - "yeh ladki apne pados ke ratan chachaji ke mama ki niece hai, dekho achchi jaani pehchani family hai, ek baar mil to lo".

And, this means your precious weekend evening (for which you had made extensive plans for hanging out with your pals) will get ruined in meeting some stranger where both of you will take first half an hour to break the ice.

On the other side, the moms of my friends are just getting tired of finding new prospectives for every weekend - just like the salesmen who has got exhausted after showing you first 20 shirts. This is what led to online marketplaces for match making like shaadi.com, bharatmatrimony.com etc.

They are so worried because their sons have made such a long laundry list of specifications for their to-be life partners that satisfying all the conditions in an off the shelf system is really challenging.

Wishing them all the best, finding suitable wives is really a tough OM challenge in some ways :).

Mallya - The Billionaire Businessman or The Big Blackmailer

Vijay Mallya - the liquor baron needs no introduction for each one of us has either drunk his beer, flew by his airlines or simply envied him for his calenders and swimsuit models.

Till few years back, Mallya had only one business of minting money- Selling fermented water in the name of good times. Slowly and gradually, he expanded his empire to make United Breweries one of the largest liquor companies not only in India but whole of the world - now, what next?

Mallya spotted an opportunity of selling the fictious dream of good times further by launching "Kingfisher Airlines", the five star comfort in the sky. He is a master in understanding and exploiting the psyche of Indian male - having made them drink beer for ages, now it was time for beauty. So, here comes Mr. Mallya with all his air-hostesses dressed in deep red tight skirts - luring the Indian males into closed cabins of Kingfisher Airlines.

Now, that the first fort of building the brand image was conquered, he needed to build the size. Just in case, if you thought he was going to do that by lining up Airbus 380's, you totally missed his business sense. He spotted a bakra in Capt. Gopinath of Air Deccan struggling to barely keep his aeroplanes flying (in a literal sense).

Now, here is the irony at its best - Kingfisher, the symbol of luxury and comfort combines with the airline of common man, Air Deccan - also known as Air Dhakkan for its lowest fares and highest delays (I know of cases where people reached earlier by train than Deccan). But, Mallya the Magician does it all and colors the Deccan red - Kingfisher Red.

Whoa - he gains a large fleet, presence on more routes than even Air India and a significant influence in the private airline industry, all of this overnight by a stroke of pen and some pittance to Capt. Gopinath. The airlines industry which was dominated till now by some unknown Marwari businessman called Naresh Goel of Jet Airways (who was getting fooled by Subroto Roy into paying an astronomical sum for an ailing Sahara Airlines), gets its new father figure - Mallya.

Next, he teaches the tricks of the trade like cost cutting to Mr. Goel (who stupidly fires all employees next day only to get reprimanded by the govt, later Mallya taught him lobbying too :P)and buys out the competition to be on his side - not only, Jet Airways but also Air India (otherwise why do you think our own minister Mr. Patel is justifying the demands of Mr. Mallya in public :P). With this part of the act done, the private airline market comes under his full control because it is largely a duopoly system controlled by Mallya and Goel.

Now, he plays the final trump card - STRIKE. Yes, all the private airlines who were killing each other for every extra passenger will go on a strike together on August 18 bringing the total air system to a halt. Mr. Mallya has demanded the government to bail him out, put in capital to buy his expensive equity and reduce taxes for his luxury - what a great idea to earn not only a free meal ticket, but a full feast at the expense of poor taxpayer's money. I guess he missed out on mentioning about why the government bailout money is essential for buying another yacht for him so that he can relax there (ofcourse with all his hot models) while thinking about making flying affordable for the common man.

It is a clear blackmail to government from Mallya - I will bring whole of air traffic to a halt and will hold you to ransom until you agree to bow to my wishes.

I believe this entry and control of airlines industry in India by Mallya is one of the best examples of amazing execution of well thought out business strategy which is taught in no business school around the world. In my view, Mallya is an astute businessman who does not mind wearing any hat including that of a blackmailer in order to achieve his goals.

The rays of hope at the end of the dark tunnel

Since the time Lehman went burst last year, the markets all over the world seemed headed for a bottomless pit. The impact was felt by everyone and it was easy to see how the plight of the rich bankers got transmitted to even the last strata of society including the maids and washermen who too knew that it was
recession time .

It seemed to be a dark tunnel with no end in sight. I personally knew a lot of friends who became the victims of this crisis and lost their jobs within the first few months of their joining. Some of them were into the first ever job in their lives and were totally clueless about how to find another job, specially in geographies like US and UK. The same geographies which were indulging in reckless brain drain from India few years back were keen to throw all the unwanted rubble back to the poor nation without delay lest they eat up the resources meant for the original citizens. I guess those legislators demanding reservation of jobs for nationals are nothing but the American avatars of Raj Thackrey.

Everything seemed to be headed for doom with even the IIM campus placements being dismal to say the least. Every month, I got to hear about some batchmate or the other losing the job...really tough time.

But, just as they say - Change is the only constant in this world. Even this stage was not going to last long but the battery always seems to be running out too soon.

In the meantime, a black man for the first time in the history of the world reached the White House promising the world only one thing - "Change". But, in our own nation, the junta janardan reaffirmed its faith in the honest Sardar who ushered in the era of liberalization.

The economy world over has started showing the signs of revival and I too am happy given that my friends have started getting the appointment letters instead of retrenchment ones.

Let us hope things continue resurrecting from hereon and this does not remain another deadcat bounce.

The big drama of Indian Politics - ELECTIONS

The Indian politics stages a big drama called Elections at an interval of every few years - ohh, you wondering how do they decide the interval, no big deal - just a few fat ladies like Jaya, Maya and Mamta decide to flirt around with old but eligible bachelors like Atal.

I know what you are thinking, I am writing this post - few years too late, how is it relevant - are we not living under the government of the religious sardar Manmohan Singh ??

If you are under any illusion that the gentleman with blue turban has any power whatsoever, you definitely have no clue of Indian polity. Everyone knows that this is a great remote control system with remote in hands of Madam. I have great respect for Manmohan Singh, the man who heralded the era of liberalization in India (thanks to him, I am working in an MNC) but today he seems to have even less power than Lalus, Paswans and Pawars of the world who are making him dance at the tunes of 10, Janpath...

And now that the elections have come, every party is demanding its own pound of flesh - the fight over the seat sharing is a precursor of the trouble brewing in. From the political commentary by pundits, it appears that the regional parties and alliance politics are going to play a decisive role....so much that someone like Mayawati can even dream of being the PM of the nation !!!!

With Rahul baba taking active interest and harboring the aspirations of the PM post, her mom would leave no stone unturned to gift the nation to her son. But, the country needs to rethink the question - are we as a nation nothing but the family inheritance of Gandhi family? Have we just replaced monarchy with the facade of democracy with a big drama known as ELECTIONS.

On the other hand, the saffron guys seem to have lost every sense of responsibility and are returning back to the commumnal agenda. Even the first time contestants like Varun Gandhi are trying to project themselves as the next Modi with Pilibhit becoming Gujarat. I had expected a better sense from someone who represents the lineage of Sanjay, Indira and Nehru.

And, the other Sanjay who was running from pillar to post to save himself from going to jail is now dreaming to do another Munnabhai, this time in real life with the famed Amar Singh as the director. Let us see how does junta like the new film.

Then, there is the set of Karat, Yechury and Vardhans who have successfully implemented the Cholbe na, Korbe na in West Bengal for last few decades with the latest being the ousting of Nano. I am sure it is a great idea to increase the short position on market with every seat going in CPM account.

But, to be truthful, I have enjoyed watching this drama since childhood. It involves thousands of crores of rupees to construct the set, lights and action (haan is movie mai sab hai - maya-mamta ka pyaar, UP-Bihar ke bahubali netaon ka war, love proposals, breakups, mystery, twist). Let us see how does the drama unfold this time.

Though while spending these billions of rupees on this drama, the politicians forget that thousands of people go back to bed hungry in this country and for them, this drama is utterly meaningless.

Janta Janardan really has no role to play in deciding who sits at the helm of Delhi Durbar.

Burning Bombay

Bombay - the land of dreams for every Indian youth since decades, the economic capital of India is burning and posing a serious question. The fumes over the dome of The Taj Hotel which used to stand as a mark of pride for the city, are asking if the common Mumbaikar has lost the right to life. The bullets fired at the Leopold cafe in Colaba are warning us that all good times have ended.

We, a country of more than a billion have exposed our fraility times and again. We are at the mercy of these handful of terrorists whether it is 1993 blasts, 2006 train blasts or today. And, these incidents repeatedly come back to haunt us because we have not been strong enough to give a fitting reply. We have not been able to execute the terrorists responsible for the attack on Parliament till today. Why?
We have not been able to nail Dawood Ibrahim even after so many years - why?

All these questions are haunting the mind of every single youth in the country who seems to have lost the right to breathe in the free air, the right to hold his head high under a bright sky....his right to humanity.

Honesty prevailed, Temptation lost

At the start of this year, I decided to treat myself with a new cellphone. Given that I am one of the worst informed souls around when it comes to these gizmos, I decided to seek help from few friends at IIMA campus like Satyaki (Chatta) and Narayanan (Dastak). Since both of them owned Motorazr, I almost decided to buy one for myself. I coerced one of my friends to accompany me to a nearby Croma where I got the all new Motorazr v3i Black. But, all this is history, why am I bothering you with all this???

Because I was on the verge of losing it, not once but twice - that too on consecutive days in last week.

On the first day, I went for a meeting with my colleagues and on my way back, I left the phone in my colleague's car. Since I had taken an auto to reach home from where my colleague had dropped me, there was no way for me to ascertain where did I lose my lovely, Motorazr? But, thanks to Ankur and Rajesh, my blackberry had a message informing me about the incident even before I had a chance to start worrying about it.

But, as they say, some people always learn it the hard way. And, I did not wait too long for receiving another lesson, a tougher one.

I again lost it the next day and this time again, I had no clue whether I left it at office or in an auto while coming back home. And, as my fate would have it, it was in the auto. I indeed got my lesson, was really anxious and tried calling the cellphone. Every second while it was ringing, it kept my hopes alive of regaining the phone and finally at last, someone picked it up and told me that he was at Kurla station and was with the auto driver in whose auto I had left the phone.

I immediately got one auto and reached the station, mumbling prayers on my way. The person waited for me at the Hanuman Mandir near the station and was kind to return it.

This incident taught me a clear lesson about my carelessness and I will definitely try not to repeat such mistakes. But, apart from the lesson, I also got a chance to witness the honesty and integrity of poor people like this auto driver in India who value their conscience, way higher than money.

The phone is worth 6-7K and he could have easily fetched money equivalent to his weekly income had he fallen under the temptation.

I am glad that Honesty prevailed, temptation lost

Reservation and common man

Yes, I know this is what you are thinking - has reservation become my pet topic? Though I can write on other issues but something happened that instigated me to write about this topic once again.

There is a small shop near my house which is run by Mr. X, who is a gujjar from rajasthan by caste. He knows that I am a native of Rajasthan and for some unknown reason, thinks that I have some connection with media.

I went to his shop some 3 weeks after Rajasthan govt. granted additional 5% reservation to Gujjars. He welcomed me with a smirk and quipped, "aap media wale chahe kitna hungama kiye, lekin hum logon ko bhi paanch taka (5%) mil hi gaya".

I know this guy has moved with his full family, lock, stock and barrel to mumbai and may be does not go to Rajasthan even once a year. This reservation is hardly going to bring an iota of change in his life but his happiness knew no bounds.

Since this common man is the one who decides the government, it is no surprise that all the political parties have queued up to pander to unreasonable and unsustainable demands of these so-called backward castes.

God save the talent of this nation !!!

Mumbai Rains

Rains are supposed to be a much-awaited respite from the scorching heat of summer and receive warm welcome everywhere but they are dreaded in Mumbai. Why?? Huh, seems like u have never been to Mumbai in the month of June and July else you would have not asked the question.

But even if you have not visited Mumbai, you must have heard of the devastation caused during the July 2005 "floods" in Mumbai. Believe me, the government has taken no steps to ensure that such events will not get repeated anytime in future, may be even this year.

It rains like crazy in this city for days - morning, evening, basically anytime... it might disrupt your schedule of reaching and/or leaving office, it may KILL your weekend plans...may bring an end to your social life by forcing you to keep indoors even on Saturday evenings.

If you are going to suggest why don't you take a cab and enjoy your time, you are unaware that most of the roads in Mumbai (esp. Andheri-Kurla Road) would get clogged with rainwater. One of these days you might be stuck somewhere (or in middle of nowhere) because the cab (you took to keep yourself prim and dry) has suddenly declined to move and for quite sometime, you are not going to get another one.

Mumbai is a great city but rains in Mumbai are a mess...still I'm enjoying it.

OBC Reservation - A deadly political weapon

All the views mentioned as under are entirely personal and if someone feels hurt, it is totally coincidental and unintentional.

The much waited Supreme court judgement has been announced granting OBC reservation to non-creamy layer. I personally believe this heinous act of impeding the growth of world class educational institutes has been committed to derive political mileage in the upcoming elections. Every political party will try to harvest this issue to the maximum but here are a few facts:

1. There are approximately less than 2000 IIM seats, less than 5000 IIT seats and hardly 500 seats in the medical institutes like AIIMS etc. which are getting affected by this judgement. The total number of reserved seats (27% reservation) would mean approximately 1500-2000 students annually. Now, this is a minuscule number in our country of a population of 1 Billion whose significant percentage of population falls under OBC. So, only a small fraction of aam aadmi gets affected but a large vote bank can be moved because whether we like it or not, caste politics is still widely prevalent in this country, specially states like UP, Bihar where the regional parties like RJD, SP and BSP continually play the caste card.

2. But, it kills these institutes which have been built in last five decades with the sweat and blood of visionaries like Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. Fortunately, I have studied at both IIT and IIM and I can say for sure, their biggest strength is their incoming talent pool which will get majorly diluted with the reservation policy.

3. Our friends from the oppressed section of the society need enablement and not reservation. I have seen people from SC/ST reservation struggling in academics at IIT (which are much easier than entrance exams in difficulty level) and spending extra year. In IIT, we had a prep course for a significant number of SC/ST students to bring them at par with other students. How is the mismanagement of quality higher education justified in the name of reservation?

4. Who gets the benefit of reservation? For getting into IIT with reservation, the kid needs to do his intermediate at a good school. Now a days, he must go to an IIT coaching institute as well - who can pay for all this? Only those in reserved category who do not need reservation....
I know of friends who are studying at second line of colleges despite being adequately smart because they were born as high caste but believe me the colour of their blood is same as that of an OBC/SC/ST.

5. What should we do? More initiatives like super 30 in Patna by Mr. Anand Kumar may be a step in the right direction.

6. The honorable SC has suggested that the need for reservation should be reviewed regularly. Does any political party have the courage to withdraw reservation? If I am not wrong, even SC/ST reservation was introduced for a period of 10 years with a need to review after that and it has been extended ever since by every political party.

Finally, I would like to use this forum to urge you to express your views candidly in the comments section of this blog.

The first sign of Change

I arrived in mumbai on the morning of 18 march 2007 and i know this is gonna be my home for next few years, may be decades ... may be the rest of my life, who knows. There was nothing much different in this journey in Gujarat Mail, AC 3 tier from Ahmedabad to Mumbai Central.

I was received by my mausaji and was taken to his home where I spent a night. Next day, i arrived at Room-503 of AB's executive serviced apartments in bandra.

But, the first signs of change were felt today when my mobile charge ran down twice in a day. In the past, it has always been the balance which led my cellphone to stop working instead of the charge and it turned itself into a device for playing games :) :) .

I arrived in mumbai with more than Rs. 600 of balance...something that would have lasted me more than a couple of months in WIMWI, lasted me only a couple of days in Mumbai.

All of this, thanks to mumbai real estate brokers - the people whom I have been talking and wandering with for last two days without much success. I am now praying for getting some success in my hunt for a house in aamchi mumbai, a place which would be home for next few years.

Fifth C of CCCS

If you go on a street and ask anyone, how many C's are there in CCCS - he will obviously say 3 C's and he is right because he is not a WIMWIan (as we, the students of IIMA proudly call ourselves).

Every WIMWIan knows that there are 4 C's in CCCS and it is the fourth C named RaviC which makes it all the more interesting (and sometimes frightening :P). RaviC is not only a Prof, he is a legend and has a reputation (favorable or otherwise, can't say...) across the batches. The man is dedicated towards this institute and has given the best decades of his life in building this institution. He is undoubtedly very intelligent and sharp. He joined IIMA at a very young age, in fact he jokes saying some of his students were older than him. So, just for the 4th C of CCCS, more than 90 second years enrolled for this course in fifth term... to put it in perspective, due to exchange, there are only 160-170 tuchchas in campus in this term and hence more than half the batch was eagerly attending CCCS to learn the nuances of business strategy in RaviC isshtyle.

I am sure you are thinking 4C's are OK but now, how come the fifth C?

RaviC is a demanding professor and second yr. junta who has fallen into the habit of taking things for granted by this time of the year, gets to see this final and most deterimental C much later when the grades arrive.

Believe me it takes hard work, passion and sincerity to escape the trauma of fifth C of CCCS but in the end, it is all worth it. So, if you are not a WIMWIan, work hard and get admitted into this great institute. If you are a WIMWIan, do take CCCS if for nothing, just the experience of 4th C and work hard enough to escape the fifth and final C........

Good Bye, WIMWI

जीवन चलने का नाम
चलते रहो सुबह शाम

This song aptly captures my current heartfelt feelings, which made me draft this final post on Dbabble.................

Hi all,

I have my train in few hours and I have not yet started packing my stuff.
I have been living campus life for 6 years, I do not know any other style of living...I even feel like a guest at my home. I just do not feel like living this place. It is difficult for me to accept that 2 years are over and it is time to move again...

I am thankful to this place for all it gave me. I would never be able to list them all but let me try my best.

D5, The Penthouse , The home of Lech Gods....a lot of sweet memories will remain..
The first year with me and Toka in the same group, same section, same dorm....things went really smooth ...after all, I was with the smooth operator of the batch.
The numerous trips I made with Skumar, to diu, jaisalmer, gir and even to scotland willl always have a cherished place in my memory.
I will miss the after dinner chai trips of D5 where we made Appel pay every time...
I will miss taking Pinki's case for his D2 basement late night trips.

I cant forget fooka, toby, ppaw, bubba and mundu - our jai maharashtra group....now that I am going to mumbai, i need to learn more of marathi :-)
The prayaas team - arash, coco, neela, radhika, annanya, ppaw, rui, ubika -> their dedication is something tht will keep inspiring me in future as well...

The second yr came with numerous contests...I will miss working with people like Chatta, Pranav, Piyush, Thita, Vartika, Gendy, Adrian, Dash, Ankit,Tikiya, Nisha, Tasha and Doc

I will cherish the memories of MC class where Kaushik, Theju, Nisha, Ankit helped me to improve a great deal.
I will remember the LEM class...the ERI group....the strat safari junta....Bad Boys Club (BBC rawks ....)

Apart from this, there are many more who have helped me through out the last two years....please pardon me for missing your names.

See you during convo,

Boost your brains !!!!!!!

It is often touted that people get complacent after getting into prestigious institutes like IITs and IIMs. Having been at both these places, I have seen the faculty getting worried about how to boost these (so-called, I do not believe it) best brains of the nation. To help them, biological researchers have come up with this path breaking conclusion -

Chocolate and sex can boost brain.

Just to let you know that, this is not a creation of an idle mind - you can check it for yourself on rediff news. Now, the need of the time is to realize the gravity of the situation and act on this finding.

The institute authorities need to take the actions on both the fronts immediately:

Chocolates - The easier part

1. Tie into sponsorship contracts with all the chocolate majors - Nestle, Cadbury etc.
2. Ask the global recruitment companies to bring with them cartoons of imported swiss and Belgian chocolates to please the taste buds of the premium Indian talent
3. To provide convenience to the best minds while ensuring delivery of chocolates - make on-campus arrangements 24X7 room delivery.

Sex - The tougher one

This part is too tough to be answered by an inexperienced unfortunate zombie locked in the male dominated campuses of IIT-IIM for last 6 years. Hence, I would invite insightful comments from the experienced readers in this regard.